50MHz - 6m  

Let's see how the band is doing at the moment:

50MHz Aurora Status
50MHz Sporadic-E Status
Current MUF Status

For global plots of 6m QSO's that is updated every three minutes, take a look at dxers.info

Other than a period of activity on 6m when I was staying on the Island of Jersey as GJ6CSY,
my main activity from the home QTH started in August 2004.


6m 5-ele Tonna below a 2m Tonna

After the 2006 Sporadic-E [Sp-E] season had started for me in May, I experienced the delights of a very
quiet band suddenly opening to contacts up to 2000km away. There was a Sporadic-E opening on 6m
almost every day during June 2006 and the first part of July 2006.

Fantastic DX worked !!!

On 5th July I was working stations to the south in EA, when http://www.vhfdx.net showed stations working even further south.
A check on the http://www.dxsummit.fi listed several stations working C56E in The Gambia on CW, around 50.103MHz
several calls and the QRP got an all-time new DXCC logged.

The group of W7XU,N0QJM,W0SD and W0OE were QRV from IK13ql, giving a QRB for the multi-hop Sporadic-E of 4474kms.

The signal was amazingly strong at times, with the following grabbed with ARGO software:

As you can see, C56E managed to pick a frequency right in the middle of some TV band 1 interference.

When the Sporadic-E is in full swing and open to the east, the activity plots at dxers.info can show extraordinary
distances being worked. Here is a plot showing several Italian stations benefiting from an opening in to Japan,
that the rest of Europe missed out on.

 

 My 50MHz activity

"all with QRP 5 watts"

 

2010 season

 

Season started 18th May 2010

 I had been keeping an eye on the DX clusters for the past few days, when I noticed some spots coming in between the UK to Italy, and from eastern Europe across to Spain.

 

Map of contacts worked during the RSGB 50MHz Trophy Contest [IARU Region 1 50MHz Contest] in June 2010. Two distinct Sp-E openings, one to the south-east, and one to the north-east. No 'local' Europeans worked, very few Italians, and no GW/GM stations. DX spot cluster showed large numbers of eastern European stations working in to Hong Kong and Japan! You can also see good tropospheric conditions within the U.K.

On 22nd July there was a good morning opening to SM/LA/OH, with distances of around 2000km being easily worked with the QRP. During the opening I actually heard two JA stations on CW !!!
 

 
Aaland Island OH0 OH0/DK1MAX
Austria OE OE4VIE ~ OE3JTB ~ OE5NNN ~ OE6BMG
Balearic Islands EA6 EA6/M0DLL
Bosnia-Herzegovina E7 E77CW
Canada VE VO1SO
Croatia 9A 9A2PT ~ 9A5Y ~ 9A7B ~ 9A2AA ~ 9A4
Czech Republic OL OK1VDJ ~ OK7VV ~ OK1FRG ~ OK1XC ~ OK2PAY
England G G0VJG ~ G3WPH ~ G4FAA ~ G5WQ/P ~ M0MCV ~ M0XLD/M ~ G0VHF/P ~ G3WIR/P ~ G3Z ~ G4DEZ ~ G8HGN ~ G8N ~ G5B ~ G4Z ~ G4RFR
Estonia ES ES0NW
Finland OH OH2LRE ~ OH1VR ~ OH3BHL ~ OH3FM ~ OH1LWZ/M
Germany DL DM4IM ~ DL1RPG ~ DL1LQR ~ DJ1OJ ~ DL4CF 
Greece SV SV1JMO 
Hungary HA HA0IM ~ HA3LI ~ HA3UU ~ HA5JI ~ HA6NL ~ HA7LW ~ HA7TM ~ HA8EK ~ HA8FK ~ HA8IB ~ HA8IH ~ HA8MT ~ HA5BSW ~ HA4YF ~ HA5HS
Ireland I EI8GS 
Isle of Man GD MD6V
Italy I I0IFO ~ I0JFE ~ IK7FPX ~ IZ0CUV ~ IQ8HP/8 ~ IZ0FWE ~ IZ5MJZ ~ IZ5MMT ~ IZ6FXP ~ IZ7AUH ~ IZ8IBB ~ IZ8OFO ~ IZ5EME ~ IK5GQK ~ IZ7BAS ~ IK2ABJ ~ IK5ACO ~ IK7XIV ~ IW0SAF ~ IZ5HQB ~ IZ7CTE ~ IZ7NMD
Latvia YL YL2GP
Lithuania LY LY1CX ~ LY2BAW ~ LY2X
Moldova ER ER1SS
Morocco CN CN8LI
Netherlands PA PA5WT
Norway LA LA1XFA ~ LA2HFA ~ LA5AKA ~ LA7KIA ~ LA8AV ~ LA4RT ~ LA5YJ ~ LA2MOA
Poland SP SP1JPQ ~ SP1PEA ~ SP3OCC ~ SP5SS ~ SP7BCA ~ SP7EBM ~ SP8AWL ~ SP8DWI ~ SQ2NNN ~ SQ6IYR
Portugal CT CT1EUB
Romania YO YO5OHY ~ YO7LCB ~ YO5BQQ ~ YO8KGA ~ YO8KSV/P
San Marino T7 T77C
Sardinia IS0 IS0/DK7ZB
Scotland GM GM4KGK
Serbia YU YT1QQ ~ YU7AU ~ YT6M ~ YU1AA ~ YR4R ~ YT1W ~ YT1Z ~ YT3E ~ YU1R
Slovak Republic OM OM3EY ~ OM5OA
Slovenia S5 S51DI~ S55DX ~ S57TW ~ S53N ~ S50O ~ S51AY ~ S52QM ~ S54O ~ S56P ~ S57AC
Spain EA EA7OR ~ EA7DUD ~ EA7RZ ~ EB3EPR ~ AO6SA ~ EA7AH ~ EA4AAA ~ EA1XT ~ EA5TW ~ EA1HLH ~ EB1EWE
Sweden SM SM3/EA8CN ~ SM3AKW ~ SM3CCM ~ SM3LGO ~ SM6CNN ~ SM7YIN ~ SE0K ~ SK2T ~ SM/ON5RZ/M ~ SM0CHH ~ SM2PYN ~ SM5API ~ SM1TDE ~ SM0NJO ~ SG3U ~ SA4AQW
Switzerland HB9 HB9QQ
The Gambia C5 C56E
Ukraine UR UR5MW ~ US5XD ~ UX1UA ~ UY5ZZ/A ~ UR7D ~ UT4XXA ~ UX0UN ~ UX1BZ ~ UX2SB


Gridsquares worked in Europe during the 2010 Sporadic-E season

 

2009 season

 

Season started 18th May 2009

 Noticed some inter-Europe activity on the DX cluster. Didn't hear anything on SSB other than some Band 1 TV QRM. On CW though heard two SM stations peaking at S9.

 
Austria OE OE3EMC ~ OE4VIE ~ OE6KDG ~ OE2WMO ~ OE5D ~ OE6VHF ~ OE9G
Balearic Islands EA6 EA6SA
Belgium ON ON8DM
Bosnia-Herzegovina E7 E77DX ~ E7/DL1MGZ ~ E7DX
Croatia 9A 9A2PT ~ 9A2QG ~ 9A2AJ ~ 9A3SM ~ 9A3ST ~ 9A4D ~ 9A4RC ~ 9A5CW ~ 9A6CM ~ 9A7B ~ 9A7S ~ 9A7T ~ 9A4W
Czech Republic OL OK1DTN ~ OK2KYC ~ OK2ZNT ~ OK2BUT ~ OK2OV
England G 2E0RCV ~ G8YTZ ~ G0BBB ~ G0HRR ~ G0VHF/P ~ G3TXF ~ G3WIR/P ~ G4ZAP/P ~ M2F ~ M3XMP/P ~ M5BFL
Faroe Islands OY OY1CT
Finland OH OH1XT
France F F1UJS
Germany DL DL2SAX ~ DG7MHR ~ DK3WG ~ DL6UNF ~ DL6UAA
Gibraltar ZB ZB2FK
Hungary HA HA8CE ~ HA8BE ~ HA7PO ~ HA8EK ~ HA2VH ~ HA1YA ~ HA6NL ~ HA5JI ~ HA8UT ~ HA3LI ~ HA4XG ~ HA6NF
Italy I I4JEE ~ IK5ZWU ~ IC8TEM ~ I0JX ~ IW0CZC ~ IW0RNA ~ IW0BYL ~ IK0FTA ~ IV3SIX ~ I0KNQ ~ I0SNY ~ IK2FTB/2 ~ IK5ZWU ~ IM0/IW2MXY ~ IQ8HP ~ IT9ABY ~ IZ5EME ~ IZ6BXV ~ IZ6FXP
Latvia YL YL2GP ~ YL2MD ~ YL2TQ
Lithuania LY LY1CX ~ LY2SA
Montenegro 4O 4O3A
Poland SP SP8RHP ~ SO5AS ~ SP7ASZ ~ SP9EM ~ SN9F ~ SP2KMH ~ SP3YDE ~ SP5LGN ~ SP6ARE ~ SP7BUZ ~ SP8PAI/8 ~ SP9BNM
Portugal CT CT1DIZ
Romania YO YO2BB ~ YO8RCW ~ YO5DGE ~ YO8MI ~ YR8B ~ YO5BEU
San Marino T7 T70A
Sardinia IS0 IS0AWZ
Serbia YU YU1MA ~ YU1ACR ~ YT1AR
Slovak Republic OM OM3WZ
Slovenia S5 S57TW ~ S59A ~ S57TA ~ S52OR ~ S57GTW ~ S57S ~ S57RR ~ S51AY ~ S53M ~ S53XX ~ S54W
Spain EA EA7DUD ~ EA1FAQ ~ EA7RU ~ EA1CJ ~ EA1DR ~ EA1GCD ~ EA1GY ~ EA1XT ~ EA4AYW ~ EA5BS ~ EA6SA ~ EA7HYL ~ EB2CYQ ~ AN5N ~ EA1ASC ~ EA1FDI ~ EA1GA ~ EA1XT ~ EA3GEG ~ EA3TI ~ EA5BS ~ EA5CLH ~ EA7ELY ~ EB3JT ~ EB5ARP
Sweden SM SM7CMV ~ SM7AED ~ SA1A ~ SM200PAX
Switzerland HB9 HB9CXR
Ukraine UR UT8SQ ~ UR7D ~ UW5Y ~ UX0FF ~ UX2SB ~ UX2X ~ UY5ZZ/A ~ UZ5DU
USA K K4PI ~ N9XG ~ K8MFO ~ WA1T ~ K1NA ~ N1LI ~ KC8UWZ ~ K3TKJ ~ K4TD
Wales GW GW6YB/P


Gridsquares worked in Europe during the 2009 Sporadic-E season


 

2008 season

 

Season started 22nd June 2008

 Finally replaced the 5-ele Trident with a new 5-ele Tonna. Commitments meant I could only spend an hour in the RSGB 50MHz Trophy contest, early on the Sunday morning. Started off quietly with only G/GD heard, then a 49 minute opening to the Balkans, with stations on SSB and CW. Usual set up, 5W QRP from an Icom IC-7400. Worked 20 stations in total.

 
Balearic Islands EA6 EA6BB ~ EA6FG ~ EA6NB
Bulgaria LZ LZ1QI ~ LZ5QD/P
Bosnia-Herzegovina E7 E77EY
T9 T99W
Croatia 9A 9A1CCY ~ 9A2KD ~ 9A/PA4JJ ~ 9A6CM ~ 9A4D ~ 9A8A ~ 9A5Y ~ 9A5MT
Czech Republic OL OM3CND ~ OK2MBP ~ OM5MZ
Denmark OZ OZ8FR ~ OZ6FE ~ OZ1HUF ~ OZ3AEV ~ OZ3TT
England G M1CXK ~ G3RCV/P ~ M0RRC/P ~ G0ROC/P ~ M0BPQ/P ~ G5LK/P ~ G5XV/P ~ G4HRC/P ~ M0XXT/P ~ G4DEZ ~ G5B ~ G0AEV ~ G3WIR/P ~ G8N ~ M0WLF ~ G0VHF/P
Estonia ES ES5GP ~ ES5QA ~ ES5GP ~ ES1LBK/2
Faroe Islands OY OY/DD1LD ~ OY1CT
Finland OH OH3BHL ~ OH6GUA ~ OH5GJZ
France F F2YT ~ F6IRF ~ F4EGG ~ F2JD
Germany DL DL4KUG ~ DL50SOP ~ DD3SP ~ DL4BQL ~ DF9SEY ~ DJ6TK
Hungary HA HA3UU
Isle of Man GD MD6V
Italy I I0IFO ~ IK5PWI ~ IK2MKL ~ IZ1MKR ~ IZ0FWE ~ I0SNY ~ IK5FKF/M ~ I5GKS ~ IK5CXK ~ I5WVI ~ IW1AZJ ~ IZ7EUH
Lithuania LY LY2BAW
Netherlands PA PA6M
Poland SP SP9DSD ~ SP6FUN/P ~ SP9DSD ~ SP7DRV ~ SP5GMM ~ SQ7GDS ~ SQ7DQX ~ SP3EPX/4 ~ SP8NR
Portugal CT CT1FJC ~ CT4RC ~ CT1HZE
Scotland GM GM4WJA ~ GM8IEM
Serbia & Montenegro YU YU1AS ~ YT3N ~ YT1TA
Slovenia S5 S57S ~ S59A
Spain EA EA5OT ~ EA4FL/P ~ EA5BS ~ EA5AJX ~ EB5CNK/p ~ EA3NJ ~ EA3IH
Sweden SM SM7CMV ~ SM3EVR ~ SM7A
Switzerland HB9 HB9DKM/P
Ukraine UR UR5EDU ~ US5XD


Gridsquares worked in Europe during the 2008 Sporadic-E season


 

Season ended 14th August 2008

 The opening started with just the two Estonian stations on the band, often peaking 20db over 9. A Ukraine station appeared and was workable for about 40 minutes on SSB. No Italian or Spanish stations in the opening. SM7CMV was a rock-crushing signal in to the UK! Again no W, VE or KP4 stations in the log for 2008!

 

2007 season

 

Season started 27th May 2007

 First Sporadic-E heard here for 2007. Band fairly quiet but did managed to work EG7SIX in IM67 for a new callsign in the log.

 
Austria OE OE3BCA
Balearic Islands EA6 EA6VQ
Belgium ON ON4IQ
Bosnia-Herzegovina T9 T96C
Bulgaria LZ LZ2HM
Ceuta and Melilla EA9 EA9IB
Croatia 9A 9A4A ~ 9A2KL ~ 9A1CRS ~ 9A6V ~ 9A5ST ~ 9A6NCM ~ 9A4VV ~ 9A1V ~ 9A6LNH ~ 9A3GI ~ 9A2PT
Czech Republic OL OK2GM ~ OK1KOK ~ OK2UHP ~ OK2FRP
England G M1BXF ~ G3GHN/P ~ G4OHM/P ~ G4NPH/P ~ G5XV/P ~ G3SRC/P ~ G0FBB/P ~ G3RCV/P ~ G4KQH ~ G0VJG ~ G4DEZ ~ G4DBL ~ G3MEH ~ 2E0CVN ~ G4WGE/P ~ G8T ~ G4HRC/P ~ G4ZAP/P ~ G0AEV ~ M0DDT ~ G0VHF/P ~ M5FUN/P ~ G4NXO/P ~ G7RIH ~ M5BFL ~ M3RCV ~ G5WQ/P ~ M5BFL ~ G0AEV ~ G5KW ~ G8PL ~ G7FBD ~ G1YQH ~ G1ZJP ~ G7RIS/P ~ G0IFC/P
Finland OH OH6MAZ
Germany DL DL7VEE ~ DL7DF ~ DG1NOE ~ DK3WG ~ DG0UHF ~ DM2BZD ~ DL1VJL ~ DG2VE
Hungary HA HA8QB ~ HA8UJ ~ HA6NF ~ HA3UU ~ HA6ZB ~ HA6NL
Isle of Man GD MD6V
Italy I I5OYY ~ IK5/DK3EE ~ IK0VVG ~ IK5JWQ ~ IZ6FZS ~ IK5EKL ~ I4VOS ~ IZ7BAS ~ IA3GM ~ IK5RLP ~ I6NO ~ I0/LZ2OG ~ IZ3GKD ~ IK6NUZ ~ IK0OER ~ IZ6GSB ~ I0IFO ~ IZ4GWE ~ IZ5EKV ~ I0FHZ ~ IZ5EME ~ IK4WTU ~ IK7FPV ~ IK6DIO ~ IK4GMH ~ IF9/I2ADN ~ IW6ATQ ~ IK5ZUL ~ IW7EBE ~ I0JX ~ I7OXH ~ IK6FBB
Latvia YL YL2LW
Lithuania LY LY3A
Morocco CN8 CN8KD
Netherlands PA PA6M
Norway LA LA1UW
Poland SP SP9CP ~ SP7HKK ~ SQ6KV ~ SO5GB ~ SP9MQB ~ SP7FSF ~ SP7AID ~ SQ9CWO ~ SP7EBM ~ SP8PAI
Portugal CT CT1DHM ~ CT1ANO ~ CT1ESJ ~ CT1FMX
Romania YO YO2LGH
Sardinia IS0 IS0KEB
Serbia & Montenegro YU YU1UA ~ YT1AR ~ YU1ACR ~ YU1JB ~ YU7KO ~ YZ1AU
Slovak Republic OM OM3BC ~ OM3ZAS ~ OM9ACA ~ S59A
Slovenia S5 S51CK ~ S57AC ~ S54G ~ S57Q ~ S57AC
Sovereign Military Order of Malta 1A 1A0KM
Spain EA EA1HF ~ EA5ADH ~ EA3BFX ~ EC5CFM ~ EA5/ON4LO ~ AO5TT ~ EA7DUD ~ EA5DIT ~ EA5AX ~ EH1DIH ~ EA7/G8LZG
Sweden SM SM6CLU ~ SA9ACR ~ SM5CZQ
Switzerland HB9 HB9DTX/P
Ukraine UR UX3HX ~ UR5MID ~ UX2KA/P ~ UZ5DU ~ US0YW ~ UR7D ~ US0YW/P
Wales GW GW6YB/P ~ GW4BVY/P



 

Season ended 22nd August 2007

 The season appears to be well and truly over. After the last good opening on 22nd July, there were one or two minor openings with 2-3 previously worked stations being heard on the band. Not as good as 2006 - no W, VE or KP4 stations in the log !

 

2006 season

 

Season started 12th May 2006

 Heard some stations down in the noise. Raised the mast to about 20m and started tuning around the 6m beacons to see what was around. Picked up 'LY0SIXBEACON' on 50.063MHz, which is not listed in my reference books. Tuned up to around 50.150MHz and worked two Lithuanian stations, including LY3W in grid KO14 for a distance of around 1835km, and then LY2FN. Within 10 minutes both the stations and the beacon had disappeared in to the noise. This is the first time I have seen what 6m can do when it turns 'magic'.

 
Austria OE OE1DWC ~ OE3BCA ~ OE6WIG ~ OE9MON/9/M ~ OE8PPK ~ OE6BMG ~ OE8NTK ~ OE6KDG ~ OE5GWP ~ OE9MON ~ OE6ARF ~ OE6HTG ~ OE6MWG
Balearic Islands EA6 EA6/M0DLL ~ EH6CC ~ EB6AOK ~ EH6DD ~ EH6SA ~ EA6SX
Belgium ON ON4PS/P
Bosnia-Herzegovina T9 T96C ~ T99C
Bulgaria LZ LZ2ZF ~ LZ2HM
Canada VE VO1HE ~ VO1AU
Canary Islands EA8 EH8BPX
Ceuta and Melilla EA9 EA9IB
Crete SV9 SV9CVY
Croatia 9A 9A6PJZ ~ 9A5ID ~ 9A1CTL ~ 9A3B ~ 9A4V ~ 9A5Y ~ 9A6V ~ 9A4M ~ 9A5CW ~ 9A2YC ~ 9A6CM ~ 9A5MT ~ 9A2KL ~ 9A6R ~ 9A2KL ~ 9A6Z ~ 9A1HCD ~ 9A2ZH ~ 9A2YF ~ 9A5X ~ 9A150NT ~ 9A2OU ~ 9A2TE
Cyprus 5B 5B8AV
Czech Republic OL OK1AJY ~ OK2TAS ~ OK1VDJ ~ OK1FM ~ OK1VFA ~ OK2MBP ~ OK1AGE ~ OK1UOZ ~ OK1WCF ~ OK1CZ ~ OK6IM ~ OK2KYC ~ OK2BGW ~ OK1DCF ~ OK2BUC/P
Denmark OZ OZ1KVM ~ OZ6PI ~ OZ1KEF ~ OZ/DL5XAT ~ OZ2PJ ~ OZ1EO ~ OZ5TL ~ OZ7SMJ ~ OZ1MG ~ OZ6OM
Eire EI EJ3GJB/P ~ EI5FK ~ EI9E/P
England G G8AXA ~ G0BRC ~ M3RCV ~ G4DEZ ~ M0GWS ~ G0FBB/P ~ G5LK/P ~ G7DOR/P ~ G0VHF/P ~ G4BRA/P ~ M0BPQ/P ~ G4OXD/P ~ M0RRC/P ~ G3PYE/P ~ G3SRC/P ~ G8SRC/P ~ GB150VC ~ M3RCV ~ G8T ~ M5BFL ~ G0VHF/P ~ G5B ~ M1A ~ G1YLE ~ M5ADE/P
Estonia ES ES6DO ~ ES4EQ
Finland OH OH1AF ~ OH3BHL ~ OH1OP ~ OH2LE ~ OH2LQJ ~ OH2TP ~ OH1LWZ/M ~ OH5TS
France F F6BLQ ~ F/PE1CZG ~ F1VS ~ F8CIL ~ F2JD ~ F6FTC ~ F1VJQ ~ F6CSX ~ F6IFR ~ F5OUL ~ F4DXV ~ F8DBF ~ F5TGC ~ F1EYB ~ F5JMI
Germany DL DL4CV ~ DJ5DN ~ DL3MR ~ DJ7JM ~ DL1NUX ~ DK5A ~ DG2VE ~ DH9YX ~ DK1MAX
Hungary HA HA1XR ~ HA5BSW ~ HA8QB ~ HA6NN ~ HA8BS ~ HA3HV ~ HA7VC ~ HA1WD ~ HA6ZB ~ HA6NL ~ HA3UU ~ HA1A ~ HA0HW ~ HA8IB ~ HA6OI ~ HA50MHZ ~ HA1FV ~ HA3PK ~ HA3UU ~ HA5KDQ ~ HA8V ~ HA1XY ~ HA3HV ~ HA4XG
Isle of Man GD MD6V ~ GD5KW
Israel 4X 4Z4DX
Italy I I1BSN ~ I5/PA1Q ~ IZ3FJZ ~ IW9GVZ ~ IK7FPV ~ IK5DHL ~ IT9KSS ~ IZ1GCV ~ I5XDL ~ IZ8DEO ~ IZ5EKV ~ IZ7EVZ ~ IF9/I2ADN ~ IK0ZYJ ~ IW0GPN ~ IM0/IK2DUV ~ IZ8DHE ~ I0KNQ ~ IZ6BTN ~ IK2DZN ~ IW0EYT/I8 ~ IK1ASR ~ I1EEW ~ IW5ACZ ~ IM0/IK2DUV ~ IW7EFC ~ IW7EGQ ~ I0FHZ ~ IK2MKL ~ I0IFO ~ IW2FTN ~ IZ0CUV ~ I5CTE ~ IW1AZJ ~ IV3SIX ~ IT9AAI [on Sicily Island] ~ IZ5EME ~ IW4ENU ~ IZ4DPV ~ IZ6BXV ~ I0VHL ~ IF9/I2ADN ~ IZ6FXP ~ IK7UXU ~ IZ7FLS ~ IW0BET ~ IV3ZDL
Lithuania LY LY3UM ~ LY2BI ~ LY3AAM ~ LY2AAM ~ LY3W ~ LY2FN
Macedonia Z3 Z36W
Malta 9H 9H1JJ ~ 9H6A
Montenegro YU6 YU6AO
Morocco CN8 CN8KD
Netherlands PA PA6M
Norway LA LA4CQ ~ LA4FUN/M ~ LA7VH ~ LB9JE
Poland SP SP9HFW ~ SP8AWL/4 ~ SP8LXE ~ SQ9HZM ~ SP7MTF ~ SP6QKT ~ SP7HKK ~ SP7ATY ~ HF40BRP ~ SP7AWG ~ SP9DSD ~ SP9HFW ~ SP9CCD ~ SP9ERV ~ SP8PAI/8 ~ SP9LJD ~ SP9LCV ~ SP2IJ ~ SO1CC ~ SP2NJE ~ SP6DCO
Portugal CT CT1FUH ~ CT1DHM ~ CT1HZE ~ CT1FMX
Puerto Rico KP4 WP4U
Romania YO YO5BED ~ YO5OEF ~ YO8RHI ~ YT2T ~ YR8B ~ YO4BZC ~ YO7VS
San Marino T7 T77GO
Sardinia IS0 IS0/I1NAI ~ IS0/F6DBZ
Scotland GM GM6VXB ~ GM4FAM ~ GM4JYB ~ GM8IEM
Serbia & Montenegro YU YZ9A ~ YT2L ~ YT2T ~ YT1AR ~ YT2F ~ YU1DG ~ YU7DP ~ YU7AZ ~ YU1FW ~ YU150AU
Slovak Republic OM OM3XI ~ OM5KM ~ OM50KKF ~ OM1AX ~ OM7CF ~ OM7CB ~ OM7OA ~ OM5OA ~ OM3SEM
Slovenia S5 S56P ~ S54G ~ S55DX ~ S56Y ~ S52EZ ~ S57AJ ~ S50W ~ S51CK ~ S50A ~ S58AL ~ S57AC ~ S53ZO ~ S54AO
Spain EA EB1EHT ~ EB1DNK ~ EA3AR ~ EA1BBE ~ EA5FUZ ~ EA7BHO ~ EA1AXY ~ EC5CIA ~ EA5/G0KOM ~ EH5AX ~ EA7KW ~ EH2BCJ ~ EA5KO ~ EA7HG ~ EA3IN ~ EA7KW ~ EA7HBP ~ EH6CC ~ EA7DLD ~ EA7ZM ~ EH6AZ ~ EB1EHO ~ EA3AKY ~ EA2CLU/P ~ EA2ARD ~ EA1UU ~ EB1EWE ~ EH4AAA/M ~ EA3CBH/P/6 ~ EH7AH/P
Sweden SM SM4DHF ~ SM6XMY ~ SM3SHJ ~ SM7RYO
Switzerland HB9 HB9LCW ~ HB9GT ~ HB9DRK ~ HB9DRS ~ HB9RF ~ HB9/LU3DCA ~ HB9MCZ
Ukraine UR UT0UT ~ UT4UO ~ UT7IA ~ UR5EDU ~ UZ5DZ ~ UX2KA
USA K KB4XK ~ NG4C
Vatican City HV HV0A
Wales GW MW0BAV/P ~ GW4BVY/P

 

Season ended 6th August 2006

 Lots of east/west Sp-E, with a number of very loud HA stations on the band [had worked all of them previously!]. Saw CN8KD spotted on the cluster. Went to his frequency but heard nothing. Nine minutes later he appeared out of the noise at 5/7 calling CQ. A quick call and a new DXCC of Morocco was in the log for 6M. This was the last Sp-E opening of 2006 that I worked. Did not hear any 'winter' openings.

 

2005 season

 
Isle of Man GD GD0EMG

The first weekend in June 2006 saw the 24-hour UKSMG Sporadic-E contest, I only entered for a few hours
on each day, but as the drawing below shows, there was a marked difference in the propagation seen on the
two days. The Saturday [3rd June] was just south of east, mainly to the Balkan countries, whereas Sunday
[4th June] was more south east to Italy. However, the five hours before the UKSMG 2006 Sp-E contest proved to
be even better conditions, as shown by the green lines on the drawing below. The opening covered a much wider
arc, included more countries, and covered greater distances.

 The black lines show my first real exposure to the 'magic band' of 6m. The opening lasted for several hours but was
very localised to the east and the south-east.

How I ended up on 6m.............

Looking for a replacement for my ageing 2m transceiver, a Yaesu FT-225RD, I ended up getting an Icom IC-7400.
I believe that the Icom IC-7400 is sold in other parts of the world as the Icom IC-756 PRO II. This gets me on to 6m,
as well as replacing the 2m rig (with up to 100W), and also providing a backup rig for the HF station. I did look at the
Kenwood TS-2000. This would have given me higher power on 70cms, which would be good, but the additional
23cms module was too expensive. During 2007 I started to use the IC-7400 as the primary rig for HF, 6m and 2m SSB,
as well as for WSJT on 6m.

I now have a good antenna installed for 6m. Having replaced the ground plane on the side of the mast [where it was
badly screened!], with a 5-ele TRIDENT Yagi installed on the mast, now that the rotator has been replaced. It sits above
the rotator cage and below the 9-ele Tonna for 2m.

Due to some unforeseen damage to the 5-ele TRIDENT during June 2007. While replacing the old 2m beam, I fell off a
ladder and on to the feeder element of the 6m beam, shearing the aluminium 2/3rds the way round. I have replaced the
antenna with a 5-ele Tonna!